I concur w/ Lisa. I shoot baseball (major & minor leagues) w/ a Canon
system (A2e - EOS-3 in Europe) and its been wonderful for me.
Lightweight, rugged, quiet, fast and very versatile.

Unfortunately the A2es have been discontinued but the Elan 7eII's have
taken their place. I have yet to shoot w/ an Elan 7eII but i have heard
nothing but praise about them! I sold a couple of them in my days in
camera retail and my customers loved them!

Also, the lenses that work on the A2e's & Elan 7eII's WILL work on Canon
digital (D60's & D10's) if and when you're ready to go that route.

Now you mentioned that you're willing to spend upwards of $500 for the
body. My question to you is... How much are you willing to spend on your
lens(es)?

No matter what system you finally decide on it doesnt make sense to
spend $450 on a body only to put a $150 lens on it. Consider your optics
as much, if not MORE, than your camera body.

Good luck and let us know what worked out for you.

Happy New Year!


Terry